Michael Jai White and Jeri Ryan Cast in MORTAL KOMBAT Web-Series

In round one, we brought you the announcement that Warner Premiere would be developing a live-action Mortal Kombatweb-series based off of director Kevin Tancharoen’s popular short, Mortal Kombat: Rebirth. In round two, we’re bringing you news that the series will feature both Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Voyager) and Michael Jai White (Black Dynamite) reprising their roles as Lt. Sonya Blade and Major Jackson “Jax” Briggs, respectively. Joining them will be Darren Shalahvi (300), playing the protagonists’ common enemy, Kano.

Tancharoen is returning to direct the series and promises to keep the gritty and brutal storytelling that made the original short so popular. The series will look to deepen the backstory of the Mortal Kombat universe and give fans a whole new perspective of their favorite characters. For more info about the project from Tancharoen and a look at the next video game incarnation of Mortal Kombat, GET OVER HERE! and hit the jump.

Part of the popularity of Mortal Kombat: Rebirth was due to the recognizable actors playing characters that were familiar to the fans.

“It’s extremely gratifying to have such talented actors playing these iconic roles,” said Kevin Tancharoen, Director, Producer and Co-Writer of “Mortal Kombat.” “They will bring the essence of ‘Mortal Kombat’ to life and gamers will be deeply immersed into the game’s universe.”

Another part of the fan short’s success was due to its relatively short run time. The two movies based off the franchised suffered from trying to spin a cohesive story from a one-dimensional fighting game. Mortal Kombat the series looks to rectify that.

From the press release:

Written by Kevin Tancharoen, Aaron Helbing and Todd Helbing, and available online this spring from Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, the “Mortal Kombat”digital new media series is an anthology of multiple live action shorts. Each episode will provide never-before-revealed insights into characters featured in the upcoming videogame as well as the game’s universe.